pulsar: 15. Qf3 <is the first critical position.> click for larger view<At a glance only 19...Nh5 is playable to keep the Knight from being captured. Then 20.Nxh5 gxh5 21.exd6 Rxe3! wins because the Queen will be lost after Qxe3-Bd4. However, after 19...Nh5 White will play Ne4 threatening d6 and the g4 push. Play may continue 20...dxe5 21.fxe5 Bxe5 (21...Rxe5 22.g4 and the Knigt will fall) 22.Qxf7+ Kh8 23.Bg5 winning. So Black played...> 19...Rxb2 <All in.>  click for larger view<After 20. exf6 Qf6:>  click for larger view <A tricky position. One wonders why the natural Ne4 was not played, but a deeper look reveals that 20.Ne4 Qe7 21.Ra7 Rb3! offers Black some tactical threats against the e3 Bishop.> <The position after 26.c3 is another critical position:>  click for larger view<Despite being down by a piece for two pawns (doubled), Black has some compensation for his material investment as the c3 pawn presents a strong threat of promoting, while White's Knights, along with the Bishop, could hardly move at their current squares. 27.Nd1, Be1, Ne2 don't look good enough. Fortunately, White found 27.Nexf5-- returning the exchange but weakening Black's kingside and allowing the Queen's penetration.>  click for larger view<After some forced sequences, this position was reached:>  click for larger view<The position still looks complicated but despite Black's resourceful play up to the very end, it looks like there's no saving the game after White's next move:> 33.Kh1
 click for larger view<I could not find any saving move for Black after this quiet King move (I looked at 37...Rxf4+ 38.Kxf4 Bh2+ when Black has some traps left, but 39.Kg4 snuffs all hopes. 39...Qg3+ 40.Kh5), the game proceeded to its inevitable conclusion. Beautiful game!> |